Mavs' Finley Misses Spurs Game

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, March 19, 2003

Michael Finley missed the Dallas Mavericks' key game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night because of a strained left hamstring.

Mavericks coach Don Nelson said an MRI showed no tear, but "we'd be pretty foolish to rush him back until he feels better." He wouldn't estimate how many more games Finley might miss.

Finley tried returning too soon from a similar injury last season and wound up on the injured list for the first time in his career. He missed 13 games.

"It doesn't look like it's going to be as bad," Nelson said.

Finley was hurt during the Mavericks' 114-93 win over Cleveland Tuesday night.

The Mavericks went into this game leading the Spurs by 3 1/2 games in both the overall NBA standings and the Midwest Division. A one-game swing either way is big with Dallas having only 13 games left after this one.

Yet Nelson said he needed to be cautious to protect Finley for the rest of those games and the playoffs.

"This is not the time of year we want to gamble," Nelson said. "Even though it's a huge game, it's not worth the risk."

Finley is averaging 19.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and three assists in a team-best 39 minutes per game. He's one-third of Dallas' Big Three, along with Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash.

This was the second time one of them missed playing the Spurs. Nowitzki sat out the first meeting because of a sprained ankle.